Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bordeaux and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Istanbul: $1,526 a month against $2,062 in Bordeaux, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Bordeaux
Learn more

Bordeaux Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

Bordeaux

🇫🇷 France

$2,062

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bordeaux and in Istanbul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bordeaux and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,062 per month in Bordeaux vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Bordeaux $2,062
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $3,225 per month in Bordeaux vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Bordeaux $3,225
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $4,388 per month in Bordeaux vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Bordeaux $4,388
Istanbul $3,272

Bordeaux costs about 35% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bordeaux and Istanbul sit above the global median – Bordeaux by 54%, Istanbul by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.41 €18.21

$11.88 ₺585

71.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 €71.2

$55.1 ₺2,714

44.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.30 €12.76

$9.14 ₺450

56.46%

Cappuccino

$4.01 €3.58

$4.24 ₺209

-5.42%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.54

$1.75 ₺86.0

62.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.54 ₺26.83

151.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.96 €7.11

$4.69 ₺231

69.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 €5.88

$5.97 ₺294

10.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.26 ₺62.1

-3.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$0.95 ₺46.81

106.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$2.31 ₺114

31.17%

Eggs

$3.68 €3.28

$2.47 ₺122

48.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.64 €12.17

$10.55 ₺520

29.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.27 €14.52

$5.60 ₺276

190.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.80 €18.56

$21.21 ₺1,045

-1.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 €2.94

$1.93 ₺95.1

70.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.29 ₺113

-2.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 €3.21

$1.28 ₺63.1

180.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.43 €3.96

$1.84 ₺90.8

140.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.67 ₺32.86

240.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 €2.62

$0.59 ₺29.31

396.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.33 ₺65.4

3.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.59 ₺29.10

-3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.98 €11.58

$2.36 ₺116

450.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 €9.10

$13.47 ₺664

-24.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.99 €3.56

$2.42 ₺119

64.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 €3.67

$3.54 ₺174

16.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.83 ₺40.64

149.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.00 €42.84

$66.5 ₺3,273

-27.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.35 ₺66.6

64.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 €1.63

$0.85 ₺42.05

115.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.21 €34.10

$10.86 ₺535

251.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.47 ₺72.3

45.58%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.6K €30.9K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-33.04%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.8K €31.0K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-21.81%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$254 €227

$89.2 ₺4,395

185.24%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$15.39 €13.74

$11.60 ₺572

32.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.66 €27.36

$16.10 ₺793

90.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.16 €29.59

$77.3 ₺3,805

-57.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.91 €24.91

$22.66 ₺1,116

23.17%

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 €10.52

$8.34 ₺411

41.37%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$786 €701

$974 ₺48.0K

-19.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K €12.2K

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-46.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$118 €105

$52.7 ₺2,597

123.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.62 €39.82

$39.16 ₺1,929

13.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.6

$103 ₺5,083

4.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 €129

$96.6 ₺4,759

49.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$922 €823

$994 ₺49.0K

-7.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$754 €673

$629 ₺31.0K

19.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,750 €1,561

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-13.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 €1,213

$1,155 ₺56.9K

17.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,921 €6,177

$3,160 ₺155.7K

119.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,739 €4,229

$1,838 ₺90.5K

157.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,129 €2,792

$1,203 ₺59.3K

159.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

41.09

-90.46%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bordeaux: October 5, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bordeaux

$754 36.4%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 16.5% $125

Groceries & Markets

Bordeaux

$383 18.5%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 31.1% $119

Eating Out

Bordeaux

$324 15.6%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 32.8% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bordeaux

$301 14.5%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 61.1% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Bordeaux

$187 9%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 29.8% $56

Getting Around

Bordeaux

$68 3.3%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 11.4% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Bordeaux

$57 2.7%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 65.5% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $922 in Bordeaux versus $994 in Istanbul. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 160% higher in Bordeaux, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Bordeaux versus $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $383 vs $264 – making Istanbul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Bordeaux

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

15:45 3:45 PM

16:45 4:45 PM

1 h ahead of Bordeaux

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

261,804

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bordeaux Istanbul 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bordeaux
Istanbul

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bordeaux vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bordeaux costs about 35% more than Istanbul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,092 per month in Bordeaux and $2,289 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Istanbul, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 38% less in Istanbul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $786 per month in Bordeaux and $974 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Istanbul, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Bordeaux at $2,062. In Istanbul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bordeaux it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Istanbul costs $1,526 versus $2,062 in Bordeaux. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Istanbul. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bordeaux makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.